Ireland’s Lucy Gaffney has released a five-song EP. Pitfalls, named for the lead track, features two new songs and three of her recent singles: “Forgive to Forget,” “Big Love,” and “Locked Up Never Fade.”
The release serves as a reminder of the extent to which there is a 90s 4AD vibe to Gaffney’s work. There are points of comparison with Throwing Muses and Lush. Recorded in Stornaway, the songs have absorbed the atmosphere with sparse, clean arrangements. Despite their elegance, they maintain resonant emotional qualities.
Gaffney has explained the connection between them:
The EP represents a journey, and “Pitfalls” itself is about how endings interact with new beginnings, like the dawn radiating and emerging from the night. The EP reflects on embracing the passing of time, revealing the beauty in both the dark and the light of our past, present and future.
“Pitfalls” doesn’t fall into the pop traps set by the charts. It has the quirkiness of The House of Love’s “Safe,” but there is nothing eccentric about Gaffney’s breathy vocals. Hers is a voice that deserves to be heard more widely.
It is hard to pick a stand-out track from this set, but “Saw Your Chaos” has the uni-student angst of the Wedding Present and the knowing sophistication of Mojave 3. Essential listening for breaking hearts.